Nakaba Suzuki's Japanese manga series Rising Impact was first serialized in 1998. More than 20 years later, we're finally getting an anime adaptation of the golf-themed series.
Last month, Netflix announced the first season of its Rising Impact anime series will premiere on June 22. The adaptation is actually being split into two parts with Season coming in August 6th.
Ahead of next month's debut, Netflix has released an English-subtitled trailer for the highly anticipated series. For those unfamiliar, Rising Impact is a golf-focused manga about a third-grader named Gawain Nanaumi with a passion for baseball and making the ball fly. But after meeting female professional golfer Kiria Nishino, he learns that golf allows him to hit a ball further than any other sport.
"Using his physical strength and keen observational skills gained from living in a rural mountain area, he manages to hit the ball to such an impressive distance that it rivals even that of professionals," the synopsis teases. "With Kiria’s help, the new golf enthusiast enrolls at Camelot Academy, a prestigious school for both skilled and aspiring golfers from around the world. Gawain wants to be the best professional golfer in the world but there are other golf prodigies with extraordinary skills that stand in his way and he has to face various trials to overcome them."
Rising Impact was created by Nakaba Suzuki, who also penned the beloved fantasy manga series The Seven Deadly Sins, which has also been adapted into anime.
"I never imagined that, after 25 years, my debut work would be adapted into an anime on Netflix!” Suzuki said back in March. “The production team meticulously recreated the illustrations, demonstrating an extraordinary love for this project. As the author, I am truly overwhelmed. The artwork and direction are simply outstanding, and the voice actors delivered performances that perfectly matched the characters."
The series boasts an incredibly talented Japanese voice cast, and will be available with English subtitles. The cast includes:
- Misaki Kuno voices Gawain, the gifted golfer
- Yumiri Hanamori (Yamada Asaedon Sagiri in Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku) takes on Lancelot Normal, Gawain’s greatest rival, a putting prodigy who can find a path to the tee from any distance.
- You Taichi (Chainsaw Man, Bleach: The Thousand-Year Blood War) portrays Kiria Nishino
- Atsumi Tanezaki (Anya Forger in SPYxFAMILY) voices Kiria’s younger sister, Kurumi Nishino
- Katsuyuki Konishi (Tengen Uzui in Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba) plays Kai Todoin, the boy with the highest grades in the academy.
- Shunsuke Takeuchi (Olaf’s second Japanese voice actor in Frozen) takes on Riser Hopkins, another elementary schooler who boasts the strength of a professional golfer.
- Yuto Uemura (My Hero Academia, Attack on Titan, Bungo Stray Dogs) voices Liebel Ringvald, a sixth-grade boy who has the skill to overwhelm even middle-schoolers.
- Kaede Hondo (Ya Boy Kongming!), who won Best New Actress at the Seiyu Awards, portrays Yumiko Koizumi, a junior champion with an impressive backspin.
- Yumi Uchiyama (Oshi no Ko) takes on Platalissa Bonaire, a girl just as talented as Koizumi, who aims to achieve an accomplishment great enough for her to return to her home country of Britain.
- Eiji Takemoto (Golden Kamuy) voices Wanglian Li, a player who understands the course better than anyone else and is skilled at reading the wind and weather.
The trailer also gives us a glimpse of the theme song "gifted,' performed by the rock band BLUE ENCOUNT, that'll be used for both seasons of the series.
Rising Impact is directed by Hitoshi Nanba (Fate/Grand Order: First Order), with Michihiro Tsuchiya as the screenwriter. Kiyotaka Oshiyama of Studio DURIAN is the lead character designer with a musical score composed by Masaru Yokoyama. Animation production was performed by Lay-duce in collaboration with Suzuki.
Season 1 of Rising Impact will debut exclusively on Netflix on June 22, followed by Season 2 on August 6.